Both Prairie Sage and Pasture Sage are said to be traditional remedies for relieving complaints such as stomach ache and heartburn... But don't take my word for it: Best to do your own research (and research well!) before consuming any wildflower or plant!

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Along the edges of a creek, a few Sunflowers. From the leaves, stem and height, Common Tall Sunflowers, a plant Royer/Dickinson say grows in moist meadows and along the edge of sloughs. So water... Yes, there was that. A lot of that, in fact, complete with diving terns and ducks.

There are so many Sunflowers, and from a close-up flower shot, it's tough to tell — at least for me! — one from another... That's why the local wildflower experts take many detailed images to show a wide range of plant and flower features. The newly re-hosted Saskatchewan Wildflowers website is a superb example and reference site.

As for me, my interest is/was primarily in photography, though my interest in the beauty of the flowers themselves is quickly catching up. (Ditto, for the birds on my Prairie Natureblog.)

I start in one place, and end in another — far from where I thought I was going...

Saturday, August 30, 2014

A stand of Smooth Camas blooms in a wet hollow by the side of the road, stems of white, green and yellow flowers swaying gently in the wind.

Another first for me — I've never seen this prairie and parkland wildflower before, and was lucky to see so many at once. (The flowers usually appear in June, so I'm glad these native plants were still showing off their display in mid-July.)

These lily-shaped flowers grow on stalks a foot or two tall — typically in moist areas, though in some dry meadows, too — and, from my (limited) observation, seem to be highly attractive to insects of all kinds!

One of my guides (Royer/Dickinson) calls this plant, with its graceful, arching stalks of flowers, White Camas, and its formal name is Zigadenus elegans. This guide says this Camas is slightly poisonous to humans and livestock, while the related dry-hillside Death Camas or Zigadenus venenosus — no surprise with a name like that! — is very poisonous.

Friday, August 29, 2014

After so many bright Saskatchewan wildflowers, here's one of my favourites: Delicate blue-purple Harebells. These bell-shaped flowers come in a range of shade — to me, the colour varies a lot depending on the light. As all colour does...

In the shade, Harebells look far more intensely vibrantly blue than they appear in bright sunshine.A lovely contrast with all the yellows of summer!

Thursday, August 28, 2014

This week, near Regina, Saskatchewan, I saw a patch of Narrow-leaved Sunflowers in a sheltered hollow. I didn't realize at first that's what they were — but the pictures tell the story, displaying this species' typically narrow and slightly folded greyish-green leaves

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Some flowers cry out for a close-up view, and none I've seen have cried louder than Saskatchewan's native Green Bog Orchid.

Unlike some prairie orchids, which appear glamourous and bright (at least in photographs), the Green Bog Orchid looks subdued and shy, and its green flowers don't look at all exciting — or like actual flowers — until you get really, really close and realize, Yes! It's an Orchid!

I had help with that. Someone else found a few orchid plants in a wet area, and kindly pointed them out to me. Even then, I wasn't sure what I was looking at until I got down on my hands and knees to peer at the green stalk, and saw that it really was covered in orchid flowers.

The four or five Green Bog Orchid plants that I saw earlier this summer were at most about one foot tall, and the individual flowers, only millimetres wide. No perfume, no colour but green (with a slight yellow tinge on the lip). And to me, highly exotic in their inconspicuous restraint.

It was difficult to photograph an entire Green Bog Orchid plant because of other vegetation in the area, with which these orchids blended wonderfully well... Below, the best of the lot — an enhanced image, with the background dulled and the brightness of the orchid stalk and lower leaves slightly increased.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

I find identifying composite flowers difficult, but from my guides, Smooth Asters are the most likely Asters in my area, so that's what I'm guessing these lovely blue-purple prairie wildflowers must be.

By any name, these Asters are beautiful, and they are great late wildflowers with which to enjoy nature photography. I've found them blooming from July through September around the Condie Nature Refuge, north of Regina, Saskatchewan.

Sunday, August 24, 2014

To me, the complex, compound flowers of Showy Milkweed are very beautiful, although the plant's growth pattern might be a bit overwhelming in a small space.

But oh, having my own Monarch Butterfly colony would be so much fun! These large, black and orange butterflies are lovely to watch, and their larva have vivid black, white and yellow stripes.

And Monarchs need all the help they can get these days. They rely on Milkweed, a plant that's not as common as the butterflies or butterfly watchers would like it to be, thanks to development and its designations over the years as a weed. (The latter is changing, with the recognition of its importance as a unique food source.)

About Me

Prairie Wildflowers from Saskatchewan

Welcome to Prairie Wildflowers, acollection of my photographs of wildflowers, primarily taken in Saskatchewan, Canada. I hope you'll enjoy these, and that the images and links here help you identify and learn more about our native plants and the flowers that brighten our landscape.

Many of these photos were taken in the prairie grasslands in the southwest of the province, near the Montana border. Other pictures were taken in and around the Regina, SK, area.

If you're interested in looking at wildflowers — especially prairie wildflowers — welcome! And if you're trying to identify a flower you've seen, perhaps the thumbnail images in the colour indexes, or the resources listed, may help. (If you're interested in using any of these images in any way, please contact me.)

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Banner photos

The images of the flowers on the banner were taken by Shelley Banks in various places around the southern part of the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Many of these images appear in blog postings here; check the colour tabs to learn more.